Quadrotor robots throw, catch and balance inverted pendulum

By Damir Beciri
2 Comments26 February 2013

quadrotors-juggling-1A student at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH) Zurich developed an algorithm which enables two quadrotors to balance an inverted pendulum and juggle it among each other. In order to achieve this stunt, the researchers had to set theoretical models of the process, and engineer the complete system of balancing, throwing, catching, and… »

MYO gesture control armband

By Damir Beciri
One Comment25 February 2013

myo-gesture-control-1Thalmic Labs has launched MYO – an armband which relies on a combination of myoelectric technology and motion sensing. The interest of Apple to develop a wristwatch with similar features confirms that this technology could be the next step in our interaction with augmented reality and other gadgets around us. Anyone able to use their… »

Small Eco Houses – Rosie Joe project

By Sonja Raca
25 February 2013

rosie-joe-house-1Rosie Joe house, a small project which dates back to 2004, was built in Navajo tribal reserve close to San Juan River, near the small town Bluff in south-eastern Utah. The project gave first and second year students at University of Utah College of Architecture + Planning an opportunity to build housing for poor families,… »

iCub robot with simplified artificial brain learns languages

By Damir Beciri
One Comment24 February 2013

icub-reccurent-contruction-language-learningTwo researchers in France, affiliated with Inserm U846 Stem Cell and Brain Research Institute and Université Claude Bernard Lyon I, used iCub humanoid robot as a platform to develop a simplified artificial brain system which enables the robot to learn and understand sentences containing a new grammatical structure, as well as to predict the end… »

Artificial platelets reduce clotting time and blood loss

By Maja Bosanac
24 February 2013

artificial-platelets-healing-1Researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech) have devised a new technology that could help the blood to clot faster, potentially reducing blood loss in wounded people. They developed artificial platelets – an artificial counterpart to components of blood that help with wound clotting or sealing. This biomaterial is made from hydrogel and… »

Artificial ear creation with 3D printing and injectable molds

By Damir Beciri
21 February 2013

ear-print-1Cornell bioengineers and physicians have used 3D printing and injectable gels made of living cells to create an artificial ear that looks and acts as a natural human ear. The method could be very useful for reconstructive surgery, and the particular case where an ear is created could give new hope to thousands of children… »

Using electrons for environmentally friendly seed treatment

By Damir Beciri
20 February 2013

wheat-fieldFarmers and seed suppliers chemically treat seeds in order to improve their viability and health by eliminating pest infestation. Researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Electron Beam and Plasma Technology (Fraunhofer FEP) in Dresden, Germany have developed a different method which kills pathogens without harming the environment. Aside being more environmentally friendly, it also means… »

Silkmoth controls a robotic exoskeleton to track down smells

By Damir Beciri
18 February 2013

silkmoth-robot-smellA group of researchers at the University of Tokyo attached a male silkmoth to a free-moving polystyrene ball that can control the movement of a small, two-wheeled robot. According to researchers, the findings will be used to devise better smell tracking algorithms by providing useful suggestions for the application of an insect behavioral model to… »